From Embers

N I N E

I shot up out of bed at the sound of his voice. He was sitting on the edge of my desk with his legs hanging below. This was the first time I had seen him in actual light. He was extremely burly, with a ginger beard and fiery orange hair, he had blue eyes that sparkled in the light. He was wearing a black leather jacket, black jeans, and a set of combat boots. He was a little shorter than me but no less capable of doing anything. He proved that last night. 

"How did you get in here?" I asked, startled.

"I don't have trouble getting anywhere, kid." He answered.

"I asked how you got in here, not for a vague answer." I stated.

"Mate, I'm not cleared to tell you a lot of this stuff yet. I'm here to discuss what I can tell you, then choof off." 

"Alright, what can you tell me?" I asked.

"Well to start, you're obviously different from your average joe. You got powers and things no one else can do. Yer dad is to thank for that. Run's in the family. That's why the uglies are after you. They're called the Elders, they're trying to take over the world, but they're stuck on the other side of a dimensional breach that can only be opened by special people. The bad guys have those special people, and they want you because you have the ability to open the breach. I betcha didn't know that. I'm here to make sure you stay on our side and keep you away from the bad guys. We're called the Hierarchy, and we're a sort of angel race of people. You become a member of the Hierarchy when you're chosen. Most of us are dead, but reanimated to do what I'm doing now, or just overall protect the world from destruction. You've been chosen to be a member, but you gotta be initiated and such. That means I gotta keep you alive until then. The uglies consist of all of the legends and such that you've probably heard about. Wendigoes and hellhounds, and everything you thought wasn't real. They're all real, but they are monsters from the other side. Don't wanna get yourself tangled up with any of them. Whenever you get yourself in trouble I'll be there to protect you." He stated

There's another race of beings that are trying to destroy the world and take it over. I have a guardian angel that can just pop up out of nowhere. He was dead, and was brought back to save me. My reality collapsed against itself and I realized there was a lot more bad in the world than I had thought. 

"With all of that being said. Your friends are back, so I'm gonna skedattle. See ya soon mate." He said. 

He snapped his fingers and there was a bright flash of light, then he was just gone. Just like that. I looked around my room and there was no trace of him. So my protector has powers too. 

I exited my room and walked downstairs. The front door opened as soon as I got down the stairs. Two guys and one girl entered the unit. They walked into the living room and stopped as soon as they saw me. The first guy was probably five or six inches shorter than I was with blonde hair, blue eyes, and had a very athletic build. The girl was brunette with hazel eyes, fair skin, and was taller than I was, and the last guy had brown hair, tan skin, brown eyes, and was about the same height as me, and was stocky. 

"Guess it's about time we met you." The blonde guy said.

"I'm Sabrina, the guy with the brown hair is Alex, and blondie is Diego. What's your name?" The girl asked.

"I'm Maximus, but please call me Max." I responded. 

"We finally have a full house! They kept putting everyone new in the other dorms, probably because they hate us, but now you're here." Alex stated.

"Don't be weird Alex. He doesn't know us yet." Sabrina retorted.

Diego approached me and extended a hand. 

"Pleasure to finally meet you. Welcome to our dysfunctional family. You'll get used to Alex pretty quickly, he's not the brightest person in the world, but you'll catch onto his humor quickly. I'm the brains of this operation, Sabrine is the musical expert, and Alex is your stereotypical jock." He stated.

I shook his hand. 

"Nice to meet you as well, I don't really know what my part would be in this family, but I think you'll figure it out for me in time." I responded.

"Oh, I know I will." He winked.

Sabrine dropped her bag on the couch and sat down beside it. She pulled out a large table, and when she snapped a stand extended out of the table in front of the couch. She set the tablet down on it. My jaw dropped in awe. Was this entire place automatic?

"What other secrets are there in this place?" I asked.

"Everything has something about it that is automatic. You'll learn from experience in time, don't worry." She explained. 

"This place is going to take some getting used to." I stated.

"Give it a couple of days and it'll feel like home. Everyone is pretty cool and we're all here for the same reason." Alex said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"To change the world." They all said in unison.

"Interesting." I said more to myself than for them. 

"Have you set us your tablet yet?" Diego asked.

"No, it's still in the box upstairs. So is another small device." I answered.

"Oh that's just your skeleton key." Sabrina stated.

"My what?" I responded.

"We call it the skeleton key, it basically gives you access to everything on campus. Locked door? Unlockable. Wanna get in or out of campus through the main gate? Covered. Get into the housing unit? Just press the button. It also acts as a communications device. Just press the button twice and speak who you want to talk to. I haven't used my phone in days because the academy gives you everything you need.They all have they individual assignments, so yours is programmed for you. Do not lose it. They'll be pretty upset about that." She filled me in.

"Enough talk, you'll need both of them tomorrow for class. We don't use paper or physical textbooks here, so go set them up now. We're having chinese food delivered for lunch, so just tell Diego what you want and we'll order for you. The place we have on campus is bangin'." Diego suggested.

"I'll just have sesame chicken with fried rice." I told him.

"Gotcha. I'll go ahead and order it." He pulled out his skeleton key and walked into the kitchen.

I heard him ordering quietly from the living room.

"I'm gonna go start setting up my stuff for tomorrow. Call me down when the food gets here, I'm starving."

"Will do, macho man. I'll let you know." Diego stated.

I went back upstairs and entered my room. I opened the smaller box first knowing it was my skeleton key. A small white paper with detailed instructions lied on top of a very appealing box. 

I read through the list.

Step 1: Open the box.

This must have been made for idiots.

I opened the box and continued to follow the instructions, flowing through setting up the device. I was eager to eat, and just on cue my stomach growled impatiently.

My roommates all seemed very amazing people and I think I'll mesh with them just fine. Diego is definitely the smartest person in the room, and he knows it. Sabrina is pretty intelligent, but nowhere near Diego. Alex perfectly fits the dumb jock stereotype. 

What an interesting group I got roomed with.